The Barnes Family
by dsakitad
Summary: A non-chronological order of events that show a relationship between Bucky and his lover grows.
1. The Best Gift

Written for Leigh's 25th Birthday Writing Challenge by flashfanfics

Prompt: "Please, you couldn't handle me even if I came with instructions"

This was such a pleasure to write! Thank you to thinkwritexpress-official for helping me a bit with the plot and then another thank you to bettercallsabs for helping with edits! Y'all rock!

One minute, it felt like the future was so far away and unattainable and the next, it was staring you right in the face. The sudden change was overwhelming and Erin wasn't sure how to feel. One minute she was incredibly excited and the next she was a nervous mess, stressing about anything and everything.

Bucky and Erin were away from the Avengers compound for the week, visiting Erin's sister who had just gotten engaged to her long-time girlfriend. Both Bucky and Erin were happy for the vacation.

Three years of marriage later, they rarely got time off from work to just be alone together, let alone have time to visit friends or family. After the Snap and the un-Snap, the Avengers were busier than ever trying to fix the world that was in chaos. Still, despite his busy "schedule", he made sure to take off two weeks a year to go honeymoon with Erin, just the two of them, no out-world distractions. After two years of consistently being gone on missions, things were finally calming down in the world and Bucky was able to take a step back from missions. Everyone agreed that he had done more than enough to serve his country/world and it was time for him to focus on himself and his family. Not only would he come home less physically injured, but he would have less mental injuries. He was able to focus on making himself better. It finally felt like things were finally going in the right direction for the Winter Soldier. The next thing that he wanted to do was work on building their family. For the last two years, Bucky and Erin have been trying to get pregnant and had nothing to show for it. Erin was miserable over it, thinking that there was something wrong with her and that she was incapable of having children. She was too scared to go to the doctors, fearful that they would only confirm that her nightmare was her reality. On the other side, Bucky felt that it was his fault they couldn't get pregnant. From everything Hydra had done to him, he was positive that he was the reason why they couldn't conceive.

A solution to building their family was getting a dog. It was a conversation that Erin and he had had previously. They both agreed that it could be beneficial for Bucky if they got an emotional support dog for him and then could keep Erin company if he was away on a mission. However, no decisions had been made on that yet.

Erin had suggested that afternoon that they catch an early dinner at the local diner before going to her sister's engagement party. Never one to say no to food, Bucky agreed and they were soon chowing down on delicious burgers and fresh cut fries.

Bucky noticed that his wife seemed to be lost in her thought, her eyes occasionally shifting to eye the bright yellow gift bag that sat next to her in the worn booth. He simply assumed that she was worried about their gift to the newly engaged couple and in support, he reached across the table and gently grabbed her hand, stroking his thumb over her knuckles in a comforting way.

"Hey babe, I was thinking," he started, his steely blue eyes watching her carefully as she pulled her attention away from the gift bag and directed it towards him.

She smirked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Oh no, anytime you think, we get into trouble."

He snorted, shaking his head at her. "You're so mean to me," he whined playfully, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled genuinely. Erin shrugged in response as if to say, What can you do? "I was thinking that maybe it was time that we…uh…send in our application to get a service dog."

Erin heart rate spiked and she pulled her hand out of his grasp, looking at anything but him. "Buck, you can't handle a dog." It came out way harsher than she had intended and the regret was instant.

Before she could backtrack, Bucky responded with a laugh, thinking she was joking, "Babe, if I can handle you, I think I can handle a dog."

Her eyes widened and she felt heat course through her veins as she stood up harshly from the red faux leather booth, snatching her purse and the gift bag, holding the latter tight to her chest in a protective manner. "Oh please, you couldn't handle me even if I came with instructions," Erin snarked, glaring harshly at her husband.

The fire that ran through her veins fueled her anger, her breathing turning rapid and shallow as she fought back the feeling of betrayal. Frustrated more with herself than with Bucky, she stormed through the restaurant, fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill over. Her heart was pounding away in her chest and she clutched at it with her free hand, taking deep breaths to try to calm herself. She was livid over the fact that her husband insisted that she was more difficult to handle than a dog! Yet, there was the rational part of her that knew he was just teasing and that's not what he meant at all.

"UGH!" She let out a sharp cry, wanting to pull at her hair.

Finally, her body recognized the cool air from outside the restaurant and she could feel the anger leaving her body with every breath.

The cool air washed over her body and she released all of the emotions that were taking over her body. Suddenly, guilt caught up to her and she felt terrible for speaking to her husband in that manner. It was a conversation that they have had and they both agreed that it would be beneficial for them to have a fur baby in the house. But these damn-

"Babe?"

She glanced over her shoulder to see her Soldier standing there with his hands in his pockets, a concerned look on his face, but he was keeping his distance until he could properly assess the situation and see what it was she needed.

Without a second thought, Erin walked to Bucky and crashed into his chest, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzled his neck, taking in his comforting scent. In return, Buck squeezed her tightly to him, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm so sorry," she mumbled into his neck, too ashamed to look him in the eye. She truly felt terrible for how she spoke to him. "It's just these damn hormones that are taking over my body. I have zero control."

As soon as the word 'hormones' fell from her lips, Bucky stiffened before gently pulling her away and held her at arm's length. His eyes were searching hers for any indication if his assumptions were correct. "Hormones?" he questioned in an anxious tone, not wanting to get his hopes up, but failed to do so.

Erin stopped breathing for a second and her heart skipped a beat. Quickly recovering, she offered him a shy smile. "Here," she said, handing him the gift bag that she had been so protective over. "I meant to give this to you after dinner."

Bucky looked at the bag as if his whole life was dependent on what was inside. Once again, Erin shook the bag at him, teasing him. "It won't bite."

Gently taking the bag in his hand, he glanced at his wife one last time before reaching into it and pulled out a dark grey shirt that had a fancy black script on it. As soon as he read what was on the shirt, he started crying.

"Daddy est. 2018"

Pure unadulterated joy washed over the Winter Soldier. In his moment of pure happiness, he pulled her to his chest and spun them around, laughing gleefully. Erin joined in, admiring Bucky's smile that was so radiant and large, it was threatening to split his face. She couldn't think of a time when he smiled so vivacious, not even when they said their I Do's.

Bucky gently set his wife back on the ground and another emotion registered to him. _Relief_. They were actually able to have a baby! He wasn't broken. They could finally have the family they've always wanted and truly deserved.

Erin was surprised when Bucky sunk down to his knees on the sidewalk in front of the diner and was even more surprised when his raised up her shirt to expose her belly. He then leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss just above her belly button and mumbled a short prayer of thanks to god. Bucky looked up from his position on the ground and met the watery eyes of his wife. He reached up to gently caress her cheek, drying her tears, before bringing his hands, both metal and flesh, to her stomach. The touch was so gentle that Erin barely felt it physically, but emotionally, she could feel the awe and love coming off of him in waves. She couldn't help but let more tears escape as she ran her fingers through his hair as he rested his cheek against her, hugging the unborn child.

"We're having a baby," he muttered, turning his cheek to kiss her stomach once again and looked up at her, the relief and joy radiating from him. Saying aloud somehow made it more real for him and he could feel the thought settling into his very soul. He was going to be a father.

Erin bit her lip as she nodded her head, trying to keep from sobbing in happiness, wanting to keep control of her emotions (hormones be damned!). "We're having a baby."

 **Six Months Later**

Bucky clumped up the few steps that lead to his house, thrilled that he was home before dinner time. Tonight, he had planned to spoil his 8 ½ month pregnant wife with homemade chicken marsala and his attempt at a funfetti cake with cream cheese frosting, wanting to indulge her in her less crazy cravings.

Unlocking the door, he gestured for Lilly, his service dog, to enter first then stepped into the entryway himself and carefully toed off his shoes while simultaneously shrugging out of his leather jacket to hang on the coat rack.

"Babe, is that you?"

He perked a bit more at Erin's call while unleashing Lilly who once free, ran into the living room. "You didn't give me a chance to do the whole 'Honey, I'm home' bit!" Bucky pouted as he turned the corner to the room. The sight that greeted him made him want to laugh, but for fear of being banned from the bedroom again, he held himself back.

Erin was on the couch, a glass of water on the coffee table in front of her next to the remote for the tv. The funny bit was that she had a look of frustration on her face that made her look as mad as a bunny rabbit as she huffed at herself. Poor Lilly kept looking back and forth between Bucky and Erin, unsure of how she could help.

"Are you stuck again?" he asked carefully, holding his hands up as a sign he wasn't a threat, still trying to hold back his amusement.

She huffed at him, her face red as she tried to rock back and forth to gain momentum to get off the couch. "Yes, _Dear_. I'm stuck. _And I_ can't reach my water or the remote! And I need to pee," she whined, giving him a look of desperation, holding her hands out towards him as a sign that she wanted his assistance.

The smallest of laughs escaped through Bucky's lips as he moved towards her to help her up.

Yes, this was the life that they deserved.


	2. The Announcement

Here's my submission for swanky-batman 's Writing Challenge! It was so much fun to write! And thank you to thinkwritexpress-official for all your help with this

P.S. Feedback is always welcomed!

 _Prompt: Alexa, play Despacito._

You were shaking with anticipation, your leg bouncing up and down as you sat at the kitchen island, fingers fumbling around with the car keys as you were waiting for your husband to finish getting ready.

Today, you were going to the Avengers compound to "hang out" with friends, since you and your husband had just gotten back from visiting your sister for the last two weeks. It was just a week ago that you had told Bucky that you were pregnant and the two of you couldn't be happier. Now came the part where you had to tell all your friends that had inherently became your family. You and Bucky had spent the last few days of your vacation trying to plan how you were going to tell the team you were expecting. It ranged from leaving a pair of baby shoes by/on the shoe rack so that when everyone went to take off their shoes they would have to see it, to passing out coupons to hold "Baby Barnes" on the unborn child's due date. After much going back and forth, you finally came to a decision on how to do it.

A pair of hands, one metal and one flesh, came down to gently rest on your shoulder, startling you from your idle thoughts. You spun in your chair to see your husband, Bucky, looking down at you with excitement behind his stunningly blue eyes. "Are you ready to go tell our dufuses?" he asked in his dulcet voice, causing a shiver of desire to wash over your body. Ever since you've become pregnant, your libido has gone through the roof and the fact that Bucky was a tasty snack didn't help at all…not that he minded in the slightest. He was like soft caramel with sea salt on top of-

"Doll?" His amused voice brought you from your racy thoughts and you flushed in embarrassment at having been caught in another fantasy. It was likely that Bucky knew what was on your mind, but he was kind enough not to tease you about it. You knew he was going to ask about it later and possibly indulge in it. The thought made you more eager to leave.

Hopping off your chair, you made a beeline for the door. The sooner you made the announcement, the sooner you could get home to do…things. "Let's go!" you called over your shoulder, stuffing your feet into your boots, simultaneously putting on a scarf and wool jacket to protect you from the brisk fall air.

Bucky ran up to follow you, quickly grabbing his own jacket before opening the door to lead you out to the car. "Babe, based on that reaction, I can't wait to get home."

Entering the compound, you found that everyone was already gathered in the common area under a hand-painted banner (most likely Steve and Parker's doing) that said, "Welcome Home, Barnes!" with a little spider drawn on the lower right-hand corner and was actually hanging from Peter's spiderwebs. The thought that he put into it made you wrap your arms around him and hug the life out of him, only to pull away to ruffle your fingers through his hair.

Bucky came over to take off your jacket and grab your scarf to hang up and you pulled your cardigan closer to you to keep the chill away.

"How was the trip?" Wanda asked, coming over to meet with you over the food that was taking up the majority of the counter space.

You offered her a smile, piling the food onto your plate, grabbing extra for Bucky for when he made his way back to you after his own socializing. "It was good to see my sister again. It's been too long and just reminded me that I should make more of an effort to get out to my family more often."

Wanda nodded in agreement, "Family is important. Now," she leaned in closer and whispered to you, "Did you and Bucky….have fun?"

The salacious look on her face made you burst out into laughter. "Yes…so much fun showing him where I grew up. We even went to the park that I used to play out as a kid. And, we went _down_ on the slide." You gave her a wink.

Wanda let out a cackle, wiping her eyes at the fake tears. "You two are too funny," she sang before turning to leave, leaving you to eat the food that was suddenly become the sole focus of your attention.

"Are you fucking for real?" you hear Natasha jubilantly shout, unable to keep her voice at an indoor level, the excitement bleeding through as she sped over to where you were.

You looked up from your plate full of food that you were about to stuff in your mouth and gave her a scared look, completely forgetting as to why you and Bucky were at the compound in the first place, just wanting to eat. "Do you care to elaborate?" you asked, setting your plate on the counter next to you mournfully, not able to keep the look of disappointment off your face as you turned to properly address your friend.

When she put her hands on your shoulders and turned your body so that you could face the rest of the team, you remembered what was written on your shirt and you smirked. Of course, it was the Master Assassin would be the first one to notice. Natasha pulled back your cardigan that was partially covering your shirt and leaned over to look at what it said more closely. You remained completely still and watched her face for her reaction to the words as she read them. "Always read the fine print," she paused, squinting at what was written in a smaller font underneath. "I'm..pregnant."

Then, unexpectedly, she let out a shrill scream of pure and unadulterated joy, throwing her arms around you and pulled you in for a tight hug, bouncing up and down. "YES! FINALLY A BABY!"

Steve moved to stand by Natasha when she pulled away. "Did you just say that Erin is pregnant?" he inquired in an optimistic tone, his blue eyes glancing at you for a split second before glancing down at your shirt to confirm the newest conspiracy himself.

That's when Bucky came up and decided to slide off his sweater that had been covering his own shirt. Steve look from you to his best friend as he read Bucky's shirt. "Be nice to me. My wife is pregnant."

The look on Steve's face nearly had you doubling over in laughter. You thought for sure his eyes were about to pop out of his head. Then, like Nat had done to you, Steve pulled your husband in for a hug, squeezing as hard as he could, making Bucky's face turn purple for a second before the Captain released him. "I couldn't imagine two people in this world who deserve this more than you," Steve said earnestly once he pulled away from Bucky to give you a hug of your own (but not as tight).

His words made tears swell in your eyes, but before they could spill over, Thor came bounding over, his excitement evident on his face. "Did I hear that Lady Erin is with child?" he inquired, his voice full of childlike glee. When you and Bucky nodded your heads in affirmation, Thor scooped you both up for a quick hug before setting you back down. He clapped his hands together and looked down at you with a rapturous grin. "This is excellent news then! **Alexa, play Despacito!** " With his command, F.R.I.D.A.Y. started to play the Spanish hit song as Thor began to dance in place, happy with his use of Midgardian culture.

Peter shot up from his place on the couch with a triumphant smile! "YES! I FUCKING WIN!" he cheered, double fist pumping in the air but quickly settled down when Tony shot him a glare over the top of his rose-colored glasses. The spiderling flushed in embarrassment and whispered out a whoops. "Sorry guys. I just….I have no regrets from hacking F.R.I.D.A.Y to do that." He sat still for a moment, a small grin on his face as he replayed the scene in his head then abruptly turned to face Thor. "Wait! Did you say that the news was exciting?" He looked perturbed.

The God of Thunder gave an exuberant nod of affirmation. "Yes, the news of Lady Erin's pregnancy is most marvelous and I thought using the me-me to express that would be most appropriate."

You looked over your shoulder to give Bucky a confused look and he offered you the same in return, pulling you in his arms.

"But…but that's not how it goes! _AND_ it's MEME, not Me-ME!" Peter all but wailed, throwing his hands up in defeat, shaking his head in disappointment. "It's 'This is so _sad_. Alexa, play Despacito. Not exciting. SAD!"

Thor seemed to mull this over for a minute, his head tilted to the side as he listened to the song that was still playing over the speakers. After another moments pause, he finally looked back to Peter, confusion prominent on his face. "But, young spider, this song is about intimate lovemaking. I don't understand why that would be sad. If anything, my way makes more sense…because in order to have a baby-"

"AH! NOPE!" Steve blurted loudly, moving to cover Thor's mouth with his hand, shaking his head frantically. "We are _not_ going there."

The room was silent from all conversation for another minute as you all just stared at each other awkwardly, not sure how to continue as the Spanish music played on in the background.

It was Thor who broke the silence, "Well, I would be honored if you allowed me to bless the child when it's born. I am the God of Fertility after all. And who wouldn't want a babe blessed by me." His voice took on a more teasing tone towards the end, causing everyone to let out a chuckle.

"Dibs on being Godfather!" Sam called out.

"Nope," Tony said in a casual tone, mouth popping on the 'p', taking a sip from his tumbler. "Obviously I'll be the Godfather. I'm the most capable of handling a child. Exhibit A, Peter."

"Ah-Ha!" Rhody exclaimed, coming around the couch to point an accusatory finger in Tony's face. "Finally you admit that he's your kid."

Tony let out the most dramatic sign accompanied with an over-exaggerated eye roll. "Of course he is. I just wasn't going to let you tell me that."


	3. Terrible Flirt

A/N: Here's my (first) submission for Kari's 1K MCU Writing Challenge. Thank you until-theend-oftheline for letting me participate!

Special shout out to the always amazing mermaidxatxheart for all her help and inspiration. Another special thanks to the ever beautiful thinkwritexpress-official for being my beta reader. You girls are a wonderful addition to my life.

 _There is one line of Romanian in here…and if it's incorrect, please let me know and know that I blame Google_

 **Warnings:** **There are quite a few choices swear words in here. Also, there is a scene with some fighting and blood, but nothing too graphic. Please prepare yourselves for the worst pick-up lines.**

 **PROMPT: "It actually means: you breathe with the mouth of goat."**

Bucky slouched deeper into the couch, his sore body taking a minute to relax and let go of the tension. You spot him rolling his neck, trying to work out the sore muscles in his shoulders. Moving so that you are sitting on the back of the couch, your legs on either side of his body, you begin to work your fingers into his tense flesh. He lets out a breathy moan and his head slumps forward, his shaggy hair falling into his face. You chuckle at just how pliant The Winter Soldier had become under your fingers.

"Why are you laughing?" He mumbles the question, rolling his head over his right shoulder so it was now resting in your lap, face turned up to watch you, his neck on display. You were momentarily distracted by the curve of his neck, tracing it with your eyes, subconsciously licking your lips. Tracing further up, your eyes ran over his sculpted jaw and skimmed over his plump lips that were curled up in a smirk.

Registering that you were caught eyeing him like he was a piece of candy, you quickly diverted your gaze and blushed, rubbing the back of your neck in a nervous manner. "I-uh…yeah," you stammered out, trying to think of an excuse for shamelessly eyeing the poor man.

He reached up, cupped your cheek and pulled you down til your lips met. Letting out a small sigh, you allowed yourself to relax into the kiss as your lips moved in sync, hands moving over his shoulders and down his chest, feeling the defined planes of his pectorals. Too caught up in the kiss, you forgot that you were balancing on the back of the couch and when you leaned too far forward, you ended up falling into Bucky's lap.

For a brief second, you two stared at each other in surprise before bursting out into laughter. After a moment of that, Bucky wrapped his arms around you and crushed you to his chest, burying his face in your hair, breathing in. He would never say it aloud, but just having you in his arms made him feel more solid and more alive than he ever thought would be possible. After being a mindless puppet, having you in his life was nothing short of a miracle.

"Babe?" He pulled back so he could look you in the eye. "Can I ask you a question."

You felt puzzled because Bucky never asked to ask a question before. That, and when you looked into his eyes, you could see the mischief dancing in them. "You're not going to ask for a kidney to sell, are you?"

The absurdity of your response warranted a snort from the super soldier and he rolled his eyes at how ridiculous you were sometimes. But, he wouldn't trade you for the world. "No, not that," he reassured. "I was just wondering…if nothing lasts forever, would you be my nothing?"

There was a brief pause of silence as you tried to absorb what was just said to you…what words just came out of your boyfriend's mouth.

Then you tried to come up with a response, your mouth opening several times to say something, anything, before it shut again.

Bucky had a shit-eating grin on his face, looking mighty pleased with himself as he puffed his chest out a bit.

That snapped you out of your stupor and you purse your lips, shaking your head. "What the actual fuck?" you question, crossing your arms over your chest. "I don't know whether I should be insulted or not." You tried to make it so you came off as irritated, knowing how your boyfriend would react to your faux agitation.

Regret flooded Bucky's expression and you could see the panic taking over. "No no no no!" he tried to backtrack, gently holding your cheeks in his hands. "That was supposed to be cute! A-uh-a pick up line I think they're called. Sam recommend it." This revelation piqued your interest. Bucky had told you quite a bit about his two best friends, Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers. You had already met Steve when Bucky had just gone into cryo in Wakanda, wanting to deliver a message from his friend.

* * *

 _It had been three weeks since you had seen or heard anything from Bucky. The last thing you knew, he felt like he was being watched and told you to move on if he just happened to disappear. Like you could ever forget the person who had captured your heart._

 _The next day, you could hear the helicopters that flew over the place where you sold your products and the sirens that were blaring through the city. Your neighbor sought you out and told you that Bucky was actually James Buchanan Barnes, Captain America's best friend and now alleged mass murder. You had already known about Steve, known about Bucky's past. You also knew that there was no way that he was behind the bombing in Vienna because he was no longer under Hydra's control. That, and he was with you at the same time. You would have come forward with this information, but he made you promise that you never tell anyone about your relationship with him. It was dangerous, he said, and you couldn't help but agree. It eased your mind when you heard that Steve was doing everything to clear his best friend's name and was eventually successful in his mission. But then, there was nothing. No word on whether or not Hydra had somehow gotten their asset back. Nothing on if some government agency had gotten him and put him down. Not even if he had made it out safe and was in hiding._

 _The anxiety of not knowing was quick to take root inside of you, the tightness of your chest a constant reminder. You weren't sleeping more than three hours a night because of the 'what-if' questions that were continuously rolling through your mind. Even eating felt like a chore because it took too much effort. But the world kept spinning and life went on._

 _It was at that three-week point of no contact with your boyfriend when you got the call that your undercover work was done and it was time to return home to train new agents._

 _Feeling more defeated than ever, you packed up the life you had made in Bucharest._

 _Just as you were leaving and locking the door behind you for the final time, a pale hand shot out and grabbed the door handle, re-opening the door, shoving you back into your old apartment. The door slammed shut behind you, followed by the click of the deadbolt. The hand that shoved you into space grabbed at your arm and forced you to spin around so you were facing the intruder._

 _You didn't even think as you instinctively reached for the knife that was attached to your back with your free hand, drawing it quickly and slashing out towards the intruder, catching them on the chest, tearing at the thick fabric and delicate skin._

 _The pain from the cut caught the person off guard and they released your arm to prod at the open skin, assessing the damage. "What the fuck?" he hissed out between clenched teeth._

 _Seeing an opening, you swung out your leg, catching him in the back of the knees and he went tumbling down, hitting the ground with an audible thud followed by a low groan. Not wasting time, you jumped on top of him, pinning him down, and held the knife to his throat._

 _"Whoa, please don't kill me," the man underneath you pleaded, tucking his chin into his neck in an attempt to protect himself. "I come here as a friend."_

 _You narrowed your eyes at the stranger, allowing yourself a moment to scan his face for any sign of deception. It only took two seconds to realize that you were about to take out Captain Fucking America. Still not lowering your weapon, you leaned in closer so you were only a few inches from his face. "Are you here as Captain America or as Bucky's friend?" you questioned in a hard tone, eyes narrowing into a glare, assessing to see just how much of a threat this man would be to you. You were fairly confident that if he wanted to hurt you, there was no way you could stop him, but since he hadn't yet, you weren't feeling too threatened. You still erred on the side of caution._

 _"Bucky sent me."_

 _With those words, you felt your defense crumble and you dropped the knife, letting it clatter to the floor. Then you moved off of Steve, tucking your legs to your chest and squeezed them with your arms, trying to bring comfort to yourself._ He's alive, _you told yourself._ He's alive _._

 _"He's safe?" you asked in a small voice, glancing at the man who grew up with Bucky. Your eyes narrowed in on the cut you inflicted on his chest and guilt coursed through your veins. "Holy shit. I think I just committed treason."_

 _Steve followed your gaze and looked down at the torn star on his dark suit before laughing, waving you off. "Tis' nothing but a flesh wound."_ Did he really just quote Monty Python _, you thought to yourself. "Besides, the government and I don't seem to be seeing eye to eye these days."_

 _You gave a thoughtful nod, not commenting, waiting for an answer regarding Bucky. "Bucky's fine," Steve told you, standing up from his position on the ground and offering a hand to help you up. "You have some sick ass moves, by the way. Bucky teach you?"_

 _You shook your head in denial. "No, CIA. Was here working undercover gathering intel to expose a sex trafficking ring. You caught me just as I was leaving to go back to the States."_

 _Steve raised an eyebrow at your admission, crossing his arms over his broad chest, taking a defensive position. "Did Bucky know?"_

 _With a huff, you rolled your eyes at his protectiveness and pushed past him to the kitchen sink where you stored your med kit for emergencies, pulling out the supplies you needed. "I imagine it may come as a shock to you, but we told each other everything. Or, in his case, what he remembered." You started to work on cleaning and bandaging his cut._

 _Steve let out a hiss at the sting of the disinfectant. "He talked about you non-stop," he said through gritted teeth, trying to distract himself from the pain. "Right up until the minute he went into cryo."_

 _This news caused you to stop what you were doing and you shot the soldier a look that was a mixture of horror and surprise. "He went back under?"_

 _Your concern seemed to trigger something in Steve because he smiled at you, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "He said you'd be upset when you found out. Also said to tell you not to worry because where he's at, they have the best scientists in the world that are working on getting all the Hydra shit from his head. He doesn't want to risk being triggered again. Especially since he now has you. That's why he sent me here. We're going to Wakanda."_

* * *

The memory flew through your mind for a split second and you shook your head, throwing yourself back into the present. You looked up at Bucky and gave him a soft smile, stroking his stubble covered cheek with your thumb. "I'm just teasing you, love. Though, I don't know if I should be put out that I haven't met Sam yet."

Bucky let out a sigh of relief, shaking his head at you. "He'll be around I'm sure," he reassured you. "I just don't know if I want him to meet you because I know he's going to try to monopolize all your time."

Before you could respond, a dark-skinned man waltzed his way into the room.

"Hey Buckaroo! What have you been up to? Cap said he hasn't-" he looked over the couch where you were still perched in Bucky's lap and did a double take, eyes bulging out of his head. "Now hold up. Who's this lovely lady? Did you kidnap her? Miss," he looked you in the eye, faux concern glimmering in his own, "is he paying you? Blink twice if you're being held here against your will."

Intrigued with this new guy, you moved off of Bucky's lap and settled back into the corner of the couch, bringing your legs up to your chest and wrapping your arms around them. "Interesting that you think that this lil' puppy next to me would ever force me to be around," you started, tilting your head to the side, eyeing the newcomer. "Are you projecting your own feelings maybe? Are you being held against your will? It's okay to tell me, this is a safe place."

Bucky snorted from beside you, not even trying to hide his amusement at how you turned the tables.

The man gave you a once over one more time before nodding his head, a serious expression on his face. "Yeah, I approve." Then his face broke out into a wide smile and he held his arms out in a welcoming manner, "Welcome to the family! Oh, and I'm Sam, but I would bet you already knew that."

You had to resist the urge to roll your eyes. Bucky reached over to you, not liking the distance you had put between yourselves, and pulled you closer so that your sides were pressed together. He placed his arm around your shoulder, holding you close. "Funny how he thinks that I could hold you here against your will," he said to you. "And not that I need birdbrains approval."

His comment made you smile and you snuggled closer into him, relishing in the warmth that radiated off of his body.

Sam just rolled his eyes and grabbed the seat from across from you. "Well, since Erin's here, maybe you can finally share how you two met. Because dude, you're a scary beast and she's a delicate little flower."

This time it was your turn to snort. He could not be more wrong with his description of you but chose not to comment.

Bucky looked from Sam to you, looking for permission to start. With an affirmative nod from you, he launched into his story. "We met for the first time just after I arrived from Bucharest."

 _Bucky felt anything but calm. However, looking at him, you would have never guessed that. He kept a calm facade going as he carefully traversed the market area, eyes continuously searching for any signs of a threat. Or rather, he was searching…until his eyes found you._

 _There you were, standing at your produce stall, but instead of haggling over prices, you were crouched down, offering plums to a group of children that were obviously impoverished. You didn't care as you reached around and pulled them in for a hug before sending them on their way, telling them to hurry on to school and to stop by afterward to let her know how their day went. That was the first day._

 _The next day Bucky was out, you were chattering away with an easy smile on your face with an older lady. Then you turned to the person running the stall next to you and asked them to watch over your produce before grabbing the elder's bags and helping her to her car. You then proceeded to literally skip back to your stall, throwing a grin at the person you asked to watch over it. Bucky found himself wanting to have a reason for you to smile at him._

 _It went on like this for over a week. He would show up at different times of the day, trying not to set an obvious pattern. He found that it didn't matter the time, you were always finding ways to help someone around you. There was a tightness that was developing in his chest that became more prominent the more time he spent watching you._

 _He guessed that he should have felt weird for watching, but that was all he knew. It was never his place to speak. Just observe and report. The tightness was concerning and it wasn't an emotion he recognized._

 _It wasn't until the ninth day that he recognized what it was. A young man who seemed around your age came up to your booth and was casually conversing with you. Whatever he said must have been funny because you broke out into giggles, pushing your hair behind your ear before blushing and diverting your gaze elsewhere. You were flirting. And he was jealous._

 _The realization hit him like a ton of bricks and he skipped out on going to the market the next day._

 _But he couldn't stay away._

 _Day 11, you were setting up your stand for the day, carrying overfilled crates of fruit from your truck. Today, Bucky was closer than ever, wanting to see you closer than he'd ever dared before._

 _You were carrying the last crate when a newspaper boy ran into you, nearly knocking you over, not stopping to see if you were alight. You would have lost all of your product if it had not been for Bucky who was quick to step in and stabilize you._

 _When you looked up into his eyes, his heart was hammering away in his chest and his face felt like it was on fire. Was he blushing? He made sure you were stable before taking a big step back, stuffing his hands into his pockets and he stared, waiting to see if you would say anything to him._

 _You looked up at your savior and gave him a knowing smile. "Finally come out of the shadows?" you teased._

 _His first reaction was a pleasant feeling that settled in his heart at finally being the one your words were directed at. Then he realized what it was you said and he could feel himself stiffening and giving you a blank stare. He was worried that he had been caught in his stalkerish ways. He was worried that if a civilian had noticed that someone else could have too. Someone he didn't need knowing where he was._

 _You must have noticed the apprehension that took over him because you just gave him a sympathetic look. "I don't think anyone else noticed," you said in an assuring tone. "I just happen to know when attractive males are in my area." With that, you winked and turned to head back to your stall. "If you're interested in chatting some more, you're more than welcomed to help me set things up!" you called over your shoulder. You didn't have to look back to know that he followed you like a puppy._

 _"I'm Erin," you introduced as you started sorting out the array of fruit. You then pointed to the crate of plums and directed him as to where to set it up. Not that he needed direction. He already knew how you liked your stall organized because it was the same way every day._

 _You noticed that he didn't offer his name in return, but you didn't let that phase you. "I suppose I should thank you for saving my ass back there. Before you leave, please take some fruit as a sign of thanks. I hear I sell some of the best plums in the city." The way you said it was like it was matter-of-fact._

 _Bucky could feel his eye twitch. He didn't like plums, but he didn't want to say no on the off chance of coming off as rude._

 _He left you a little time later with a bag full of plums and no words were spoken._

 _The next day he went to the market, you were quick to wave him over. He hesitated for a moment before he saw the look of excitement on your face. Not wanting to take that away from you, he walked over, head down, hood up._

 _"You don't talk much, do you?" you would comment later that day as you waved goodbye to the children who were on their way back home. You looked up at him, your head tilted to the side as you gave him a questioning look. He still had yet to say a word to you._

 _"No."_

 _His one word created the largest smile he's ever seen on someone's face break out on yours and his heart thumped heavily in his chest._

 _You bumped his hip with your own. "Well, that's okay. I can talk enough for the both of us."_

 _Over time he found himself wanting to open up to you more. The fact that anytime he spoke, you acted like it was God's word. He found himself asking you questions that he had developed over time._

 _"Is that an American accent?" he found himself asking one time._

 _You could feel your blood run cold and you froze in your spot. You turned slowly to face him and gave him a calculating look, eyes narrowed in suspicion. You tried to keep your breathing slow and your heart rate down, wanting to come off as calm and collected._

 _"How is it that you are able to pick up on that?" you asked in a careful tone, eyes searching his own for any sign that he wasn't what he appeared to be._

 _Despite your calm exterior, he could sense the chaos that was going on internally and found himself volunteering more information than he ever thought he would give. "Brooklyn," was his simple answer. He didn't go into more detail._

 _His admission seemed to relax you a little bit. There was no sense of deception that you could pick up on. His answer seemed genuine enough. That, and you were thrilled that he told you more about himself. Taking that as a sign, you went back to your cheery ways, chattering about how much you loved visiting New York._

 _It took time, but it came to a point where you asked him out to dinner. This caught him off guard._

 _"Aren't men supposed to ask women out?"_

 _You rolled your eyes at him and snorted. "This isn't the 1940's, Buck. Women can ask men out just the same."_

* * *

"So what I'm hearing is that Erin took charge from the beginning?" Sam asked, a look of amusement on his face as he stroke his chin as if deep in thought. "Damn, that's hot."

You turned your face into Bucky's shoulder, trying to bite back the laugh that was threatening to come out. He wasn't wrong.

Bucky rolled his eyes but otherwise didn't comment.

Sam stood up from his seat and came over so he was directly in front of you. Then in a flourish, he knelt down on one knee and grasped your hand his in own, looking you dead in the eye. "Erin. Do you have a pencil? Cause I want to erase your past and write our future."

Scrunching your face in distaste, you pulled your hand away from his grip. "Jesus Christ, you're a cheese ball," you stated. You looked at Bucky, switching to Romanian. " _Nu este el cel care a aripa ai rupt?_ " which translated to "Is he not the one who's wing you ripped off?"

Rico Suave in front of you had no idea what you said but didn't let that deter him as he reached out to grab your hand again before being swat at by Bucky. Scowling he pulled away. "Hey man! I might not speak whatever language that was, but that was clearly her asking for me to take her away from the grouchy senior citizen."

Again, Bucky rolled his eyes and turned to give you a wink before turning his attention back to his friend. "It actually means: you breathe with the mouth of a goat."

You sat there amused as you watched Sam's face turn purple, eyes bugging out of his head in disbelief. "Are-what? Mouth of a what? But…what happened to the Bucky who couldn't speak? I want him back. Is there a reset button?" He pretended to look Bucky over, poking at random spots on his chest and shoulders.

You burst out into peals of laughter at the look of alarm on Bucky's face. He scowled at you before trying to shove Sam away who was persistent in his search for the imaginary button. "Stop feeling me up, you weirdo!" he exclaimed, picking you up to use as a barrier.

As soon as you were in the way, Sam held his hands up in defense. "Nope, so not going to touch the Tin Man's lady. I'd rather keep my hands attached to my body." Without further goodbye, he took off out the door.

There was a moment of silence that settled over you and Bucky.

You looked up at him only to find that he was already watching you and you could feel yourself smirt. "Back to the observation days, are we?" you teased, pinching his cheek in affection.

He snorted, shaking his head at you before leaning down to rest his forehead against yours. "No, I'm just enjoying the moment."


End file.
